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Saturday, October 18, 2014

ARC Review: Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay

I picked up Princess of Thorns expecting a fairy tale re-telling on the scale of Jay's Of Beast and Beauty.

Don't do that.

Princess of Thorns is nothing like Of Beast and Beauty, which is, frankly, a disappointment. Of Beast and Beauty burst upon my bookshelf last year with a fresh, innovative take on the age-old tale of "Beauty and the Beast." It wasn't solely Jay's creativity that set it apart as one of the finest re-tellings of "Beauty and the Beast" to be told, it was also her willingness to explore all-too-human themes in a fantastical settings, her risk-taking with a truly evil villain on hand, and her impeccable pacing that introduced plot twists when the reader least expected it. What's more, at its core Of Beast and Beauty is a love story; a beautiful one. It's impossible to pick up Jay's former novel and not become lost in the swirls of tension, passion, and love that emanate from these characters. Sadly, Princess of Thorns contains none of that.

For one, it should be noted that Princess of Thorns is not a re-telling of "Sleeping Beauty." Instead, it continues the original French story, only instead of ending completely in death and demise, Princess Aurora's two children live and are raised by the fey to eventually fight their evil ogre family. Princess of Thorns begins promisingly enough, what with a prophecy being foretold and Ror, our protagonist, becoming a fierce and determined leader. Certainly, from the first few pages, Jay's latest seemed to possess the qualities needed to make Princess of Thorns as big a success as Of Beast and Beauty but, alas, it was not to be so.

My main issue with Princess of Thorns is, quite simply, that it is boring. Aurora is on a quest to win over an army and save her younger brother, Jor, from his current imprisonment with the Ogre Queen who wishes both Ror and her brother dead. With her is Niklaas, the eleventh son of an immortal king who has cursed his heirs to turn into swans on their eighteenth birthday so that his kingdom may never be turned over to them. (Also, can I just inject here that this entire plot thread is ridiculously weak? Is this meant to be another re-telling similar to Marillier's Daughter of the Forest randomly interjected with "Sleeping Beauty"?) Niklaas finds Ror and, presuming that Aurora is her younger brother, Jor, agrees to help her on her quest if Jor will introduce Niklaas to his elder sister so Niklaas may propose marriage to Aurora. Niklaas needs to marry in order to escape his curse but Aurora's fairy blessings prevent her from even kissing another and, parading around as her younger brother Jor, their relationship forms into a tight friendship after their initial revulsion passes. Though their journey could have been intriguing, with "Jor" diplomatically fighting to win over an army or find one (*ahem* Aragorn in Return of the King when he rallies the ghost army to fight for him!), this novel passes by with Aurora and Niklaas merely walking, sleeping, talking.

What's worse, there's barely a hint of chemistry between Niklaas and Aurora. I enjoyed the manner in which their relationship developed but I wasn't wholly involved with it. Plus, Niklaas is the type of male protagonist who enjoys boasting of the broken hearts and cold beds he leaves behind and while Aurora is strong, capable, and a perfect match for him, I found Niklaas's subtle misogyny to be...unpleasant. Of course, Jay allows her characters to grow and change over the course of the novel and the ending is satisfying, though anticlimactic. It isn't the epic battle we expect it to be and, on that count, it's disappointing. Jay doesn't pull out all the stops when it comes to her villain this time around either--yet another upsetting factor--but the last few pages ensure that readers finish Princess of Thorns with a smile if nothing else.

Unlike Of Beast and Beauty, this novel is not introspective, reflective, or thought-provoking in the least. The relationship dynamics are all present--and I really enjoyed the glimpses of Ror and Jor's sibling relationship--but ultimately, this isn't a novel to boast about. Its gorgeous cover aside, I wouldn't recommend it and frankly feel as if readers who expect the same caliber of Of Beast and Beauty will be happier skipping out on this one. Sorry Princess of Thorns, but you leave much wanting.

You can read my review for Of Beast & Beauty (which I highly recommend!) HERE.

Here is where it gets tricky! I love retellings but as long as they keep the original idea, meaning beginning and ending and some crucial facts, so yeah this one doesn't sound like something I'd enjoy as it's really distance from the original story. Sorry it was a disappointment. Great review, Keertana :)

To be honest, the only fairy tale retellings that i have enjoyed immensely is The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. And that's not even close to being retellings, since she ingeniously redid the entire stories altogether.

Perhaps Stacey Jay's are about the same but I really can't get into her books, for some reason. Boring, you say? This is definitely a miss.

I'm sorry that this book was such a disappointment for you Keertana, I hate it when you go into a book expecting a decent read, but end up getting something completely different. Also what is up with Niklaas and Aurora? You want some sort of chemistry! Thank you for your honest review, I hope your next book is a lot more enjoyable! :)

Wow, wonderfully written review, even if I'm disappointed that this isn't another Of Beast and Beauty. I'm disappointed to hear that it lacks the former's charm. I think I'll keep expectations strongly in check, and will probably only read this one if I see a very gushy, ravy review. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

I LOVE Daughter of the Forest. Now that you've mentioned about swan, it does remind me of the brothers/swans in Daughter of the Forest. It's such a shame that this book doesn't live up to your expectation, Keertana! I could imagine that you went to this book expecting something epic, and ended up feeling disappointed. I hope your next read will be much better! :)

Of Beast and Beauty gets me intrigued. I'll definitely check it out later! Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorites anyways, after Cinderella haha.

Like Joy, I don't really read retellings anymore. I can't remember a single one I actually enjoyed, so after several attempts I stopped trying altogether. It's just not something that appeals to me. That said, I'd stay away from this even if I was a huge fan. Boring isn't a word I particularly like to see. :)Lovely and eloquent review as always!

This review saddens me tremendously. I haven't read Of Beast and Beauty yet - though I intend to soon - but I have been placing a great hope in this one. I actually like the idea that this is more an extension of a fairy tale than an actual retelling. But I'm sad to hear that so many elements just don't seem to work. I have an ARC so I'll still be reading this, but with significantly lower expectations. Thank you for the honest review, Keertana, and I'm sorry it didn't live up to your hopes!

Nooooooo!! I'm so sorry to hear this as I've really loved Jay's work in the past as well. Her retellings have been fresh and clever and different and completely engrossing in a way that sounds as if this one isn't. Boo. I DO have the ARC for this, and will likely be trying it out, but if it's as boring as you say I likely won't get far.

Well, shoot Keertana! I had such high hopes for this one, but the word "boring" is enough to keep me from picking it up. Being bored is the worst. I would rather hate some aspect of the story than be completely indifferent to it. Thanks for your thoughts (and yet another gorgeous review)!

I'm not real big on re-tellings to begin with, but after reading your review this is a definite pass. If I pick up one of her books I'll go with Of Beauty and Beast instead. Sorry this was a dud, Keertana. :(